JP2005531708A - Method and apparatus for converting thermal energy into kinetic energy - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for converting thermal energy into kinetic energy. In this case, the working medium flows through at least one working space separated by the displacer. This working medium flows back and forth between at least two sealed working spaces (1, 2). A working medium is sent between the working spaces (1, 2) by the drive machine (12) for effective operation. Subsequently, the working medium flows from one side to the other side of the displacer (3, 4) through the regenerator (6, 7) by the displacer (3, 4) in the working space (1, 2). The flow of the working medium is controlled by a control mechanism, in particular a valve (13, 23, 24, 25, 26). Each displacer (3, 4) is moved by a drive unit (5).

Description

The present invention relates to a method for converting thermal energy into kinetic energy. In this case, the working medium advances the following state changes during the process in at least one working space isolated by the displacer:
Compression under heat release in the compression space, in particular isothermal compression,
-Heating in the regenerator as the working medium travels from the compression space to the expansion space, in particular isovolume heating,
-Expansion to supply heat into the expansion space to work, especially isothermal expansion;
-Cooling in the regenerator when returning into the compression space, especially equal volume cooling.

  The invention further relates to an apparatus for carrying out this method.

  Energy is not “generated” in the sense of creating it. Indeed, energy exists in nature in various forms, although each existing form of energy is not equally available for human needs. For example, the energy of wood can be used very well for heating purposes, but is relatively unsuitable for the production of light or cold air for refrigerators and the like.

  Although almost ideally available forms of energy, such as automotive oil and industrial heating natural gas, exist for all specific applications, the energy that is widely available from a human perspective is Electric energy. But this electrical energy doesn't really exist in nature, as we know.

  That is, available energy forms need to be converted to electrical energy only in a number of steps and with different efficiencies. In the case of fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas and oil, where solar energy has been stored in chemical form over millions of years, there are three conversion processes and corresponding to produce electric energy. Industrial equipment is required. First, the stored chemical energy is converted into heat by combustion. High pressure steam is generated by this heat. This high pressure steam converts this heat into kinetic energy in the steam turbine. This steam turbine drives a generator. This kinetic energy is finally converted into electrical energy in the generator.

  Each of these energy conversions has a certain efficiency. That is, energy is lost each time and the overall efficiency is correspondingly small. Thus, only about 40% of the energy stored in the form of coal, natural gas or oil can be converted to electrical energy. The remaining 60% is lost in the form of airflow as so-called exhaust heat for utilization.

  Even in the case of another conversion process, for example, when chemical energy in petroleum is converted into kinetic energy for driving automobiles, ships, railway vehicles and airplanes, the efficiency of the conversion is not good, although the conversion chain is shorter.

Considering the huge amount of power consumed around the world, you can see how much energy is lost without being available. Loss of primary energy that is not available for conversion to electrical energy due to finite resource waste is already a major problem, while climate change due to greenhouse gases, such as CO ₂ problems, for example, shows In addition, the worsening environment for future generations, which is closely related to the conversion of chemical energy from combustion into thermal energy, is a more serious problem.

  It is therefore not surprising that mankind has been trying to improve and optimize the conversion process for decades, or to utilize some of the exhaust heat, such as when it comes from remote heating. Utilizing part of the exhaust heat from the power plant for room heating has already contributed significantly to improving the conversion efficiency. Attempts to convert other forms of energy, such as wind energy or solar energy, into electrical energy have the same effect.

  Attempts to shorten the chain of conversion and improve overall efficiency by another conversion process are also very promising. Such an interesting conversion process is realized by a Stirling engine. This Stalin engine can convert thermal energy directly into kinetic energy without the “bypass” of steam.

  The Stirling engine is the second oldest heat-driven engine after the steam engine. That is, the engine can convert thermal energy into kinetic energy. Although the Stirling engine has a much higher efficiency than steam and gasoline or diesel engines due to its principles, this Stirling engine has not been widely used to date. While steam engines and gasoline engines or diesel engines are continually improved to achieve adequate power density with particularly great efficiency in addition to sufficient life, Stalin engines are almost forgotten. Stirling engines have begun to attract attention for the first time only recently because they hardly deteriorate the environment and do not depend on heat sources. To achieve the “perfection” similar to today's steam engines and passenger car gasoline engines, a great deal of research and improvement is certainly necessary.

  For example, in order to bring the efficiency of the described Stalin engine to the same ideal Stalin engine efficiency as the Carnot cycle, a great deal of further work is required. In some cases, for use in automobiles, it is necessary to study especially for improving the power density and improving the dynamic characteristics during rapid load switching.

While existing heat-driven engines can only be realized incompletely due to the lack of improvements, the biggest advantages of Stalin engines over these heat-driven engines are:
1. The Stalin engine operates on combustion of, for example, solar heat or treatment heat or biomass, waste disposal gas or other combustible waste.
2. A continuous heat supply, ie combustion under optimal conditions, is possible. As a result, harmful substances are hardly contained in the exhaust gas.
3. The sealed circulating medium—the working medium need not be completely replaced.
4). Due to the thermodynamically good cycle, very high efficiencies can be expected in principle even in the partial load region.
5. Very smooth movement and low noise.

Currently, three different types of Stalin engines are categorized by configuration: α, β and γ.
These types of Stalin engines can be distinguished primarily from functional principles and structural differences.

  The ideal Stalin cycle is consistent with the Carnot cycle and therefore exhibits very high efficiency. In practice, an exact implementation, ie an exact reproduction of an ideal or better theoretical cycle, is certainly not possible. In the case of a configured engine, the deviation due to various structures that adversely affect efficiency and power density must be tolerated.

  That is, the Stalin engine constructed or made up to now cannot achieve isothermal heating or isothermal cooling, nor isothermal compression or isothermal expansion. The main reason for this is primarily the inevitable dead volume and the continuous volume change that is not intermittent. The piston and displacer are moved through a crank mechanism having a flywheel. As a result, although the reversal of movement occurs at the dead point, a short-term stop like the theoretical cycle is not necessary.

  In order to reproduce the ideal Stalin cycle with a well-configured engine as much as possible, the three type α, β and γ engines are in line with the fundamentally structured solution that has been improved so far. To do.

  In the case of an α engine, two pistons are used in separate cylinders. In this case, one piston is arranged in the heating expansion space, and the other piston is arranged in the cooling compression space. Both pistons are actuating pistons or displacers depending on the actuating step or the angle of the crankshaft.

  A major drawback of the α-type engine is the sealing of the piston (sealed portion, seal) in the heated expansion space that greatly shortens the life of the engine. A sufficient solution to this piston sealing has not been improved so far. Another disadvantage is the crank mechanism with a large deviation from the theoretical cycle, i.e. a little efficiency, due to the crank mechanism.

  To date, various arrangements of cylinders have been developed, such as parallel cylinders, fluchtend gegenueber cylinders, parallel gegenueber cylinders, V cylinders or Finkelstein rotary cylinders. All these cylinders function in the same way. These cylinders have the same weakness or the same slight efficiency.

  In the case of a β engine, a piston and a displacer are used. In this case, both the piston and the displacer are stored in the same cylinder. Due to the complex operation of the piston and displacer, expensive gears, such as diamond gears, are required. The piston and the displacer move with one overlap for each process, and then move in the same direction, for example toward the crankshaft, or one of them stops and the other moves.

  A major drawback of the β engine is the seal that operates as dry as the α engine. In addition, the piston and displacer operation acts like a crank operation despite the expensive gears, and thus has a dead center due to the reversal of the operation but without a real stop. Even in this β form, the actually realized efficiency of the constructed Stalin engine is greatly deviated from the ideal Stalin cycle efficiency.

  Another major drawback of the β engine is the complex sealing system of the displacer slide rod in the compression piston. The displacer slide rod penetrates the compression piston by the arrangement of the piston and displacer in the same cylinder.

  Even in the β engine, various configurations have been developed to date, such as Rankine-Napie or Philips, without the disadvantages of the β engine being affected.

  In the case of a gamma engine, the piston and displacer are placed in independent cylinders. This eliminates the expensive seal system of the displacer slide rod in the compression piston. Instead, dead volume that is detrimental to efficiency increases.

  A major drawback of the γ engine is the dry working seal of the working piston as already described for the α and β engines. In addition, the piston and displacer movement caused by the drive of the crankshaft or by a drive similar to the crankshaft makes it impossible to better approximate the ideal Stirling cycle in the constructed engine. Therefore, even a γ-type engine is far inferior in efficiency to an ideal Stalin engine.

  Another major drawback of the gamma engine is the larger dead volume. This has a further negative effect on the efficiency and the relatively low achievable compression ratio. As a result, only a small volumetric efficiency can be realized.

  In addition to the single-acting engine described, the double-acting Stalin engine was developed and constructed specifically from the α form. For example, the Francoch Stalin engine is known. In the case of this engine, one Stalin cycle proceeds in the space on the upper side of both pistons and on the lower side of these pistons. That is, both cylinders always perform two different steps consisting of two different Stalin cycles for the same time depending on the upper or lower side of the piston. In this case, both these pistons and their associated cylinders define four variable volumes. These volumes can be considered as two independent alpha engines in pairs. Like an α-type engine that operates alone, the expansion piston and the compression piston have a phase difference of about 90 °.

  The efficiency of an α-type engine that operates twice is not better than the efficiency of an α-type engine that operates alone. Serious drawbacks and problems are the same. Only volumetric efficiency can be improved by its compactness.

  Siemens Stalin engines are also known. This Siemens Stalin engine represents a standard configuration of a maximum power Stalin engine, such as a mechanically coupled 4-95 'Stalin engine having an output of approximately 52 kW, with any number of cylinders. In this configuration as well, several configurations have been developed, such as, for example, a row, “U”, “V”, rectangular or circular cylinder arrangement. Although the arrangement of the heater, regenerator and cooler was chosen with a Siemens Stalin engine so that the piston seal is in the housing side wall of the cooling part, the basic drawbacks of the α engine remain .

  It is also known to study the principle of a Stalin engine with a free piston arrangement or to construct a Wankel system as a rotary piston engine. Neither configuration improves efficiency, and conversely, in addition to the inferior efficiency compared to the α engine, the drawbacks and problems are magnified.

  Common to all these different configurations of the Stalin engine is the dead space in the heat exchanger, regenerator and return pipe (Ueberstroemleitungen). These dead spaces further reduce the pressure ratio, thereby reducing efficiency.

  The object of the present invention is to firstly make it possible to configure the Stalin engine on the one hand to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and on the other hand to make the operation of the Stalin engine better closer to the ideal Stalin cycle than before. It is to provide a method of the kind described in.

  This problem is solved by the present invention.

  The present invention allows the working medium to reciprocate between at least two sealed working spaces, in which case the working medium is sent between the working spaces by a driver to release effective operation, in which case heat is driven. The heat is absorbed in front of the machine and the heat is released after the drive, the working medium is compressed in the working space after the heat release, and then the displacer from one side of the displacer through the regenerator to the other of the displacer In this case, the flow of the working medium is controlled by a control mechanism, in particular a plurality of valves, and each displacer is moved by one drive. It is primarily possible with the present invention to achieve much higher efficiencies than with all conventional configured Stalin engines.

  The higher efficiency is due to better adaptation of the constructed operating cycle to the theoretical circulation cycle. The working medium flows into the cold working space and is compressed by the temperature difference of the working medium in the connected working spaces and the pressure difference resulting therefrom. This generated equilibrium state results from the fact that most of the working medium is present in the cold working space. In the case of a subsequent isosteric regenerator cycle with a heat supply, a pressure difference is again generated between the working spaces and is again brought into operation by the drive. This operation is similar to a resonant circuit and allows power density to higher working medium volume than with a theoretical ideal Stalin cycle with the same Carnot efficiency.

  In a special configuration of the invention, the working space is separated into working spaces acting in a double manner by a displacer. As a result, the return section (Ueberstroemstrecken) is omitted, and the cycle proceeds more quickly. Further, in some cases, a seal against a further necessary buffer space is omitted.

  According to a feature of the invention, each displacer is moved by one independent drive. According to this feature of the invention, there is no crank drive or similar operation to the crank drive that causes the configured cycle to deviate from the ideal Stalin cycle. Instead of this crank motion, linear motion is used. This linear motion can be controlled regardless of other movements. As a result, a stop time of an arbitrary length is realized by, for example, a displacer.

  According to another configuration of the present invention, the displacer of the connected working space is moved through the connecting part fixed by the driving part. As a result, a simple configuration can be realized. In this case, for example, two hot working spaces or cold working spaces are connected to each other. This means that the heating / heating working space becomes a complete heating source and that the cooling / cooling working space becomes a complete cooling source without causing losses due to heat conduction between the heating medium and the cooling medium. Enable. Both displacers are connected to each other by a fixed slide rod. The slide rod receives a force acting between the displacers. In order to move the displacer, it is only necessary to overcome frictional resistance and flow loss. The regenerator may be inside or outside the slide rod. These slide rods themselves do not need to be sealed. The theoretical power density relative to the amount of working medium is greater than during an ideal Stalin cycle. This configuration allows the use of low temperatures for generating power and the generation of low temperatures.

  According to a special configuration of the invention, the working space is divided into an expansion space and a compression space by the displacer. In this case, the working medium used for the effective operation is not cooled after the drive through the regenerator for effective operation by the drive assigned to the working medium after flowing out of the expansion space. And then flows into the expansion space of this working space through the regenerator assigned to this working space by the movement of the displacer on the compression side. This configuration is a so-called “cold” engine. Since the drive is not exposed to high temperature loads, the drive can be easily configured. Further low temperatures can be generated by expansion of the cold working medium cooled by the regenerator. This low temperature is sometimes utilized by the heat exchanger before flowing into the cold operating region. The efficiency and power density are greater than in the case of a γ-type Stalin engine with an operating piston connected to the cooling side.

  According to another configuration of the present invention, the working space is divided into an expansion space and a compression space by the displacer. In this case, after the working medium used for the effective operation flows out of the expansion space for effective operation, it may flow through the heater and the driver, and may flow through the regenerator, and may flow through the compressor. In some cases, it flows through another cooler, flows into the compression space of the connected working space, and passes through the regenerator assigned to this working space by the movement of the displacer on the compression side. Flow into. This configuration is a so-called “hot” engine. This type of theoretical efficiency is close to that of Carnot efficiency. The theoretical power density for the amount of working medium is greater than the theoretical power density of an ideal Stalin cycle.

  According to another configuration of the invention, the working space is divided into two expansion spaces or two compression spaces, respectively, by the displacer. In this case, after the working medium used for the effective operation flows out of the expansion space, the working medium flows through the regenerator for effective operation by the driver assigned to the operation space, and the working space connected after the driving device. And then flows into another expansion space of this working space through a regenerator assigned to this working space by the movement of the displacer on the compression side. As mentioned above, this “cold” engine allows the generation of power and the use of low temperatures for the generation of low temperatures.

  According to another special configuration of the invention, isobaric heating is carried out in particular immediately before the drive. An important advantage is that the temperature in the displacer is limited to the maximum temperature of the regenerator. In this case, the temperature of the regenerator is lower than the temperature of the heater.

  According to another preferred configuration of the invention, the compression is performed by regulating the flow and / or by the compressor. If the compression has to be carried out only by adjusting the pressure, the rotating machine, ie the compressor, is omitted. The process is surely simplified. When compressors are connected, higher efficiency can be obtained.

  It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for carrying out this method.

  The device according to the invention for carrying out this method is provided with at least two sealed working spaces, in which each working space is divided into two parts by a displacer movable by a drive. In this case, one part has a heater, the other part has a cooler, and each working space has a regenerator assigned to that working space, in which case both parts have this regeneration At least one part of each working space is connected to the drive, in which case the part that is used later for effective operation is the part corresponding to the other working space. It is characterized in that it is connected and a plurality of control mechanisms, in particular valves, are provided for controlling the working medium. As already mentioned above, higher power densities are realized with the device according to the invention.

  Another advantage of the device of the present invention is that the machine can be driven at a low clock frequency. The working space does not have a real piston seal, thus avoiding the sealing problem that occurs especially with larger piston volumes. A large working space that can be driven intermittently at low clock frequencies can be used by solving this problem. As a result, a nearly ideal Stalin cycle is realized.

  Due to the lower clock frequency and associated longer heat transfer time than with conventional Stirling engines, an isothermal process can be better implemented. A large heat transfer surface in the working space allows the use of biomass fuel.

  Another advantage is to minimize dead space. This dead space is a volume that does not contribute to the thermodynamic process and therefore impairs efficiency. This dead space is actually generated by the sinusoidal motion of the working piston, and is actually generated by the volume of the regenerator, heater or the like through which the working medium flows. A good ratio of dead space to working space is obtained and currently configured by the ratio of large capacity working space to components like low capacity drive, regenerator, heater and cooler. Many times smaller than the ratio of machines.

  Minimizing the driving force is also an advantage. These driving forces consist of the flow resistance of the isobaric pressurization of the working medium inside the working space, the operation of the valves and possibly the compression of the working medium by a compressor. The friction of the piston seal that performs the drying operation, which is one of the main factors, disappears together with the friction of the crank operation.

  Thus, it is possible to make this engine with a standard mechanical structure by omitting the moving seal that is already subjected to a temperature load and that performs the drying operation, which was the main problem. The separation of the working space and the working machine allows the use of standard machine elements. The regenerator has a smaller structure because the drive machine rotates at high speed. The omission of a mechanical drive unit further simplifies the structure. The displacer need not be synchronized to the drive. The optimum operating points can be set separately from each other.

  According to a special feature of the invention, at least one control mechanism, in particular one valve, is provided in each of the connecting parts between the drive and the individual parts. These valves are used to release the operating cycle and the regenerator cycle. Instead of valve control, slit control may be used.

  According to another special feature of the invention, four, six or many even working spaces are provided. In this case, the two working spaces are always connected to each other. By increasing the number of connected working spaces, the vibration associated with the process in the drive is reduced and the regenerator cycle can be made longer than the working cycle.

  According to a particular feature of the invention, the drive is a turbine, in particular an axial turbine, a radial turbine or a Tesla turbine. By using the turbine, a moving seal that is subjected to a temperature load and performs a drying operation is omitted. This seal is a major problem with a Stirling engine that operates with a piston. In the case of disk or Tesla turbines, particularly better isothermal expansion or compression is possible.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the driving machine is a piston engine. This configuration has the advantage that the configuration is inexpensive and can be configured with standard members.

  According to another configuration of the invention, the drive is a screw engine. This screw engine has the advantage of not having a seal like a turbine.

  According to a special configuration of the invention, the displacer drive is a linear drive. This linear drive ensures precisely controllable acceleration and braking of the displacer. Thereby, an intermittent motion corresponding to an ideal thermodynamic process is possible without loss. All tubes and seals for the rod or cranking can be omitted. Rapid power control is possible instantaneously by changing the displacer clock frequency and does not need to be induced by changing the upper temperature limit. Therefore, very good control is possible in the partial load region.

  According to another feature of the invention, the heater is connected to the front or rear of the regenerator. The heater supplies energy to the working medium in addition to the heater head in the working space. This heater therefore enlarges the total absorption surface in the heating zone.

  A special embodiment of the invention is that the working space is divided into an expansion space and a compression space by a displacer, the expansion space being connected to a regenerator assigned to this working space, Connected to a drive machine, connected to a compression space of another working space to which the outflow side of the drive machine is connected, and this compression space is connected to this working space via a regenerator assigned to this working space. In this case, one control mechanism, in particular one valve, is provided between the regenerator and the inflow side of the drive and between the outflow side of the drive and the compression space, respectively. It is characterized by. The advantages described above for the “cold” engine are also meaningful here.

  Another special configuration of the present invention is that the working space is divided into an expansion space and a compression space by a displacer, and this expansion space is connected to the inflow side of the drive unit, and the outflow side of the drive unit is regenerated. Is connected to a compression space of another working space, optionally connected via a compressor, and this compression space is connected to an expansion space of this working space via a regenerator assigned to this working space. In this case, one control mechanism, in particular one valve, is provided between the expansion space and the inflow side of the drive unit and between the outflow side of the regenerator and the compression space, respectively. It is characterized by. The advantages described above for the “hot” engine are also meaningful here.

  Another different configuration of the present invention is that the working space is divided into two expansion spaces or two compression spaces, respectively, by a displacer, each expansion space being connected to the inflow side of the driver via a regenerator. , Connected to the compression space of another working space to which the outflow side of the drive unit is connected, and this compression space is connected to the expansion space of another working space via the regenerator, and in this case, the expansion space It is characterized in that one control mechanism, in particular one valve, is provided between the regenerator and the inflow side of the drive unit connected in succession and between the outflow side of the drive unit and the compression space, respectively. . The advantages described above for the “cold” engine are also meaningful here.

  Of course, hot gases can also be expanded according to the operating principle of a hot engine.

  Another configuration of the present invention is characterized in that the heater is arranged along the flow direction behind the portion connected to the drive unit. This achieves a higher temperature in front of the drive. These higher temperatures generate better output quantities.

  According to a preferred configuration of the invention, the heater is located locally away from the part, for example in the combustion space of a hot boiler. Thereby, only the part of the device used as a heater is loaded at the maximum temperature. As a result, it is only necessary to dimension this part appropriately.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on illustrated embodiments.

  In the embodiment to be described, the same members or states are denoted by the same reference numerals or the same constituent signs. In this case, the disclosure contained in all the descriptions may be given the same reference numerals or the same reference numerals for semantically the same elements or states.

  According to FIG. 1, it has two sealed working spaces 1, 2 under the use of a working medium for converting thermal energy into kinetic energy. In this case, each working space 1, 2 is divided into two parts, ie, an expansion space and a compression space, by movable displacers 3, 4. Each display 3 and 4 can be moved by a drive, in particular by a linear drive 5. Each working space 1, 2 has a regenerator 6, 7 assigned to this working space. Both parts of the working space 1 or 2 are connected to this regenerator 6 or 7 via conduits 8, 9 or 10.

  A part of each working space 1 or 2, in this case an expansion space, is connected to the drive 12. This expansion space of the working space 1 used for effective operation is connected to a portion corresponding to the working space 2 behind the drive machine 12, that is, a compression space.

  In order to control the working medium, a control mechanism, in particular a valve 13, is provided. These valves 13 are arranged between the drive 12 and the individual parts of the working space 1 or 2. Instead of the valve 13, slit control may be used.

  A turbine, in particular an axial turbine or a radial turbine, can be used as the drive 12. Of course, a piston engine or screw engine is also possible as the drive 12. The drive machine 12 is connected to a generator 18 via a shaft 17.

The working medium performs the following state changes in an ideal process:
-Isothermal compression under heat release in the compression space-Isothermal heating in the regenerator 6 or 7 while the working medium travels from the compression space to the expansion space-Isothermal expansion in which heat is supplied into the expansion space to perform work- Equal volume cooling in the regenerator when returning to the compression space Normally, the working medium flows back and forth between the two working spaces 1 and 2 which are sealed in double operation. For effective operation, the working medium flows between the working spaces 1 and 2 by the driver 12. Subsequently, the working medium flows from one side of the displacer 3 or 4 by the displacer 3 or 4 toward the other side of the displacer 3 or 4 by the regenerator 6 or 7 in the working spaces 1 and 2 in which the double operation is performed. In this case, the flow of the working medium is controlled by the valve 13, and the displacers 3 and 4 are moved by the drive unit 5.

  Since the working medium is sent by the drive 12 at its maximum temperature, as described above, in FIG. 2 this device is also referred to as a four quadrant turbine and is shown as a “hot” engine. The expansion space is connected to the inflow side of the drive machine 12. The outflow side of the drive machine 12 is connected to the compression space of another working space 2 connected via the regenerator 6 or 7 and connected via the compressor 19. The compression space is connected to the expansion space of the working space 2 via a regenerator 7 assigned to the working space 2. In this case, one valve 13 is provided between the expansion space and the inflow side of the drive unit 12 and between the outflow side of the regenerator 7 and the compression space.

  The regenerator 6 or 7 includes a heater 14, a connected regenerator 15, and a cooler 16. In this case, the expansion space is connected to the heater 14, and the compression space is connected to the cooler 16. Furthermore, the regenerator 6 or 7 is divided into individual parts in the vertical direction. These parts are properly sealed together. Within the inner part, the working medium flows from the drive 12 towards the compressor 19. The outer part is used for the working medium regenerator cycle.

  The expansion space is connected to the heater 14 of the regenerator 6 assigned to this working space 1. The regenerator 6 is connected to the drive machine 12. The outflow side of the drive machine 12 is connected to a compression space of another drive machine 2 connected via a cooler 16. The compression space is connected to the expansion space of the working space 2 via a regenerator 7 assigned to the working space 2. One valve 13 is provided between the regenerator 6 or 7 and the inflow side of the drive unit 12 and between the outflow side of the drive unit 12 or between the compressor 19 and the compression space.

  According to FIG. 2, a four quadrant turbine is shown as a “cold” engine. Similarly, the working spaces 1 and 2 are divided into an expansion space and a compression space by the displacers 3 and 4.

  In this case, the working medium used for the effective operation flows out of the expansion chamber and then passes through the regenerator 6 assigned to the working space 1 for effective operation by the driver 12, and after the driver 12. It flows in the compression space of the connected working space 2. Subsequently, the working medium flows into the expansion space of the working space 2 through the regenerator 7 assigned to the working space 2 from the compressor side by the movement of the displacer 4.

  According to FIG. 3, the device is shown as a cold engine. In this case, the displacers 3 and 4 are moved by the driving unit 5 via the fixed connecting unit 20. The working spaces 1 and 2 are divided by the displacers 3 and 4 into two expansion spaces or two compression spaces, respectively. Each expansion space of the working space 1 is connected to the inflow side of the driving machine 12 via the regenerators 6 and 7. The outflow side of the drive machine 12 is connected to a compression space of another connected working space 2. This compression space is connected to the expansion space of another working space 1 via the regenerator 6 or 7. In this case, one valve 13 is provided between the regenerator 6 or 7 that is subsequently connected to the expansion space and the inflow side of the drive unit 12 and between the outflow side of the drive unit 12 and the compression space.

  The working medium used for the effective operation is connected after the driving device 12 via the regenerator 6 assigned to the working space 1 for effective operation by the driving device 12 after flowing out of the expansion space. Flow into the compressed space of the working space 2. Subsequently, the working medium flows from the compression side to the other expansion space of the working space 1 through the regenerator 6 or 7 assigned to the working space 2 by the movement of the displacer 3 or 4.

  In order to cool the working space 2, this working space 2 may be arranged, for example, in the ground.

  Further, the displacer 3 or 4 may be configured as a connected film.

  According to FIG. 4, each working space 1, 2 is divided into an expansion space and a compression space by the displacers 3, 4. Each displacer 3, 4 is movable by a drive unit, in particular by a linear drive unit 5. Further, each displacer 3, 4 is supported by a guide 22. Each working space 1, 2 has a regenerator 6, 7 assigned to this working space 1, 2. Both parts of the working space 1 or 2 are connected to this regenerator 6 or 7 via a conduit.

  Further, the expansion space is constituted by the intermediate heater 21. The intermediate heater 21 may be configured as a layered intermediate heater 21 or may be configured in the form of a bundle of thin plates. The compression space has a cooler 16.

  The expansion space is connected to a heater 14 that is locally separated via an intermediate heater 21 in some cases. The heater 14 can be placed in a heating boiler. In the heater 14, an equal volume heating is performed. A working medium flows from the heater 14 by the drive 12. This drive machine 12, in particular the Tesla turbine, is directly connected to a generator 18 via a shaft 17.

  The process is schematically shown once more. The compressed working medium flows from the compression space of the working space 1 into the expansion space of the same working space 1 via the associated regenerator 6 and intermediate heater 21 and is heated at the same time. This flow is performed based on the movement of the displacer 3. After the working medium flows out of the expansion space of the working space 1, it flows to the driving machine 12 via the external heater 14. Isovolume heating is performed in this external heater 14.

  The working medium flows from the driver 12 through the regenerator 7 and the cooler 16 into the compression space of the working space 2 and is isothermally compressed by the wake or the compressor. The compression heat is released in the cooler 16 of the working space 2. The compressed working medium is sent into the expansion space of the working space 2 via the regenerator 7 and the intermediate heater 21 by moving the displacer 4 in the working space 2.

  The working medium flows out from the expansion space of the working space 2 and then flows to the driving machine 12 via the external heater 14. Isovolume heating is performed in this external heater 14. Similarly, the working medium flows from the driving machine 12 into the compression space of the working space 1.

  In principle, the working medium flows in a figure of eight. In this case, the driving machine 12 is provided at the center point. The individual method steps are controlled by corresponding valves (not shown).

  The operation of the present invention by the valve control will be described with reference to FIG. 5 based on an actual example. In the working space 1 with the displacer 3, the working medium has a temperature To of 530 ° C. and a pressure Po of 30 bar. In the working space 2 with the displacer 4, a temperature Pu of 30 ° C. and a pressure Pu of 10 bar dominate. The valve 23 and the valve 24 are opened in the flow direction by the pressure difference between the working space 1 and the working space 2 generated in the displacer cycle. A hot working medium of 530 ° C. then flows from the working medium 1 via the valve 23 into the heater 14 where it is heated to 630 ° C. and subsequently again in the drive 12 by polytrope Entspannung. ℃. Subsequently, the working medium is cooled to 60 ° C. via the valve 24 and the regenerator 7, and then cooled to 30 ° C. via the cooler 16 and reaches the working space 2. Valves 25 and 26 are in the shut-off direction for this pressure difference and open only after the subsequent cycle of the regenerator, ie in the next operating cycle.

  After the operating cycle has balanced the pressure between both working spaces 1, 2, the regenerator cycle begins when the same pressure (average pressure) dominates in all systems. The displacers 3 and 4 then move to opposite dead center positions, at which time the working medium is transferred by the regenerator-cooling unit to the other side of each of the displacers 3 and 4. The isothermal overheating or cooling of the working medium proceeding at this time causes a pressure change in the respective working spaces 1, 2; Occurs when transitioning to. This completes the regenerator cycle and the pressure differential is utilized for subsequent operating cycles.

  Finally, the individual components and groups in the figures are shown in an unbalanced and distorted scale for a better understanding of the present invention.

1 shows a device as a hot engine that converts thermal energy into kinetic energy. The apparatus as a cold engine is shown. The apparatus as a low-temperature engine is shown. 1 shows the configuration of an apparatus having a locally separated heater. It is the schematic of operation | movement of an apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Working space 2 Working space 3 Displacer 4 Displacer 5 Drive part 6 Regenerator 7 Regenerator 8 Conduit 9 Conduit 10 Conduit 11 Conduit 12 Driver 13 Valve 14 Heater 15 Concatenated regenerator 16 Cooler 17 Direct shaft 18 Generator 19 Compression Machine 20 Fixed connecting part 21 Intermediate heater 22 Guide 23 Valve 24 Valve 25 Valve 26 Valve

Claims (22)

In a method for converting thermal energy into kinetic energy, wherein the working medium undergoes the following state changes during the process in at least one working space isolated by the displacer:
Compression under heat release in the compression space, in particular isothermal compression,
-Heating in the regenerator as the working medium travels from the compression space to the expansion space, in particular isovolume heating,
-Expansion to supply heat into the expansion space to work, especially isothermal expansion;
-Cooling in the regenerator when returning to the compression space, especially equal volume cooling,
The working medium flows back and forth between at least two sealed working spaces (1, 2), in which case the working medium is sent between the working spaces (1, 2) by the driver (12) for effective operation. Release, in this case heat is absorbed in front of the drive machine (12), heat is released after the drive machine (12), the working medium is in the working space (1, 2) after heat release Is then compressed by the displacer (3, 4) from one side of the displacer (3, 4) through the regenerator (6, 7) to the other side of the displacer (3, 4) A method characterized in that the flow of the medium is controlled by a control mechanism, in particular a plurality of valves (13, 23, 24, 25, 26) and each displacer (3, 4) is moved by one drive (5). .   2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the working space (1, 2) is separated by a displacer (3, 4) into a working space (1, 2) which is operated twice.   3. A method according to claim 1, wherein each displacer (3, 4) is moved by a single drive (5).   3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the displacer (3, 4) of the connected working space (1, 2) is moved by a drive via a fixed connection (20).   The working space (1 or 2) is divided into an expansion space and a compression space by the displacer (3 or 4). In this case, the working medium used for effective operation is assigned to the working medium after flowing out of the expansion space. Through the regenerator (6 or 7) for effective operation by the driven drive (12) and into the working space (1 or 2) connected after this drive (12), possibly without cooling It flows into the expansion space of this working space (1 or 2) through the regenerator (6 or 7) assigned to this working space (1 or 2) by the movement of the displacer on the compression side. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The working space (1 or 2) is divided into an expansion space and a compression space by the displacer (3 or 4). In this case, after the working medium used for effective operation flows out of the expansion space for effective operation. Optionally through the heater (14), the drive (12), then through the regenerator (6 or 7), optionally through the compressor (19) and possibly another cooler ( 16) flows through the compression space of the connected working space (1 or 2) and is assigned to this working space (1 or 2) by the movement of the displacer (3 or 4) on the compression side 5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that it flows into the expansion space of this working space (1 or 2) through (6 or 7).   The working space (1 or 2) is divided into two expansion spaces or two compression spaces, respectively, by the displacer (3 or 4). In this case, the working medium used for effective operation flows out of the expansion space after this. An operating space (1 or 2) connected through the regenerator (6 or 7) for effective operation by a drive (12) assigned to the operating space (1 or 2) and connected after this drive (12). This working space (1 or 2) passes through the regenerator (6 or 7) assigned to this working space (1 or 2) by the movement of the compression side displacer (3 or 4). The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it flows into another expansion space.   5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein isobaric heating is carried out in particular immediately before the drive (12).   5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the compression is performed by pressure balance and / or by a compressor.   10. The apparatus for carrying out the method according to claim 1, wherein at least two sealed working spaces are provided, in which case each working space (1, 2) is a drive part. It is divided into two parts by a displacer (3, 4) movable by (5), in which case one part has a heater (14) and the other part has a cooler (16). Each working space (1, 2) has a regenerator (6, 7) assigned to that working space (1, 2), in which case both parts are connected to this regenerator (6, 7). Connected, at least one part of each working space (1, 2) is connected to the drive (12), in which case the part used later for effective operation is the other actuated Connected to a portion corresponding to the space (1, 2), and a plurality of Control mechanism, and wherein the particular valve (13,23,24,25,26) is provided for controlling the working medium.   11. Each of the at least one control mechanism, in particular a valve (13, 23, 24, 25, 26), is provided at the connection between the drive (12) and the individual part. The device described in 1.   4. Four, six or many even working spaces (1, 2) are provided, in which case the two working spaces (1, 2) are always connected to one another. The apparatus according to 10 or 11.   Device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the driving machine (12) is a turbine, in particular an axial turbine, a radial turbine or a Tesla turbine.   Device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the drive (12) is a piston engine.   Device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the drive (12) is a screw engine.   Device according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that the displacer drive (5) is a linear drive.   Optionally, the heater (14) is connected to the front of the regenerator (6, 7) and / or the cooler (16) is connected to the rear of the regenerator (6, 7). The apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 16.   The working space (1, 2) is divided into an expansion space and a compression space by a displacer (3, 4), and a regenerator (6, 7) in which the expansion space is allocated to the working space (1, 2). The regenerator (6, 7) is connected to the drive machine (12) and the compression of another working space (1, 2) to which the outflow side of the drive machine (12) is connected. Connected to the space, this compression space is connected to the expansion space of this working space (1, 2) via a regenerator (6, 7) assigned to this working space (1, 2), In this case, one control mechanism, in particular one valve (in particular, between the regenerator (6, 7) and the inflow side of the drive machine (12) and between the outflow side of the drive machine (12) and the compression space, respectively. 13, 23, 24, 25, 26) are provided. Apparatus according to any one.   The working space (1, 2) is divided into an expansion space and a compression space by the displacer (3, 4), and this expansion space is connected to the inflow side of the driver (12). 12) The outflow side of 12) is connected via a regenerator (6, 7) to the compression space of another working space (1, 2), possibly connected via a compressor, which is connected to this operating space It is connected to the expansion space of this working space (1, 2) via a regenerator (6, 7) assigned to the space (1, 2), in this case the inflow of the expansion space and the drive machine (12) One control mechanism, in particular one valve (13, 23, 24, 25, 26), respectively, between the side and between the outlet side of the regenerator (6, 7) and the compression space An apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that   The working space (1 or 2) is divided into two expansion spaces or two compression spaces by a displacer (3 or 4), respectively, and each expansion space is connected to a drive unit (12 through a regenerator (6 or 7). ) Is connected to the compression space of another working space (1 or 2) to which the outflow side of the drive is connected, and this compression space is connected via a regenerator (6 or 7). Connected to the expansion space of another working space (1 or 2), in this case between the regenerator (6 or 7) subsequently connected to the expansion space and the inflow side of the drive (12) and this drive 11. A control mechanism, in particular a single valve (13, 23, 24, 25, 26), is provided between the outflow side of the machine (12) and the compression space, respectively. 18. The apparatus according to any one of items 17.   18. A device according to any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that the heater (14) is arranged along the flow direction behind the part connected to the drive (12).   22. A device according to claim 21, characterized in that the heater (14) is located at a distance from the part, for example in the combustion space of a hot boiler.

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